What little we've lost
by AuroryBorealis
Summary: It is easy to see what you could have had, when you consider what little you've lost. See how a solitary thought to help a friend can spiral into the destruction of the loving lives of those around you. Commences S1 end, with implied sexual content, and severe gore
1. Chapter 1

**What little we've lost: Chapter 1**

 **(** **Welcome. For those who you who are new, I'm a guy who writes fanfiction, and** **enjoys reading it. For those of you who do know me, I also love dark souls. Cool. Now you know me. For those interested, I'm not sure how this affects Grimm souls; Paragons.**

 **As this story is T rated, you will see graphic violence, possible/implied sexual content, disturbing and shocking content, and heavy gore. Consider yourself warned**

 **The upload schedule for this new story will be whenever I feel like updating, since Grimm souls will be my main story. Whether or not you like it, it was my first, and I will finish it.**

 **Special shout out to GhostHornet, who has loyally supported me in the recent weeks, and I thank him for telling me to go for this. He also got this a day early, helping me read through.**

 **This story will be one that emphasises real feelings to the mind-set of random coincidence. This fanfic is loosely based around: One good turn deserves another, by Coeur AL 'Aran. A great series, definitely worth a read. It will have some of the same Elements, but other characters will be much more prominent. I hope you like it, and hope that you also leave me an opinion, in a review.)**

 _How easily could a single, helpful thought from a friend change history as we know it? And how strange it was that this thought could change everything, without anyone's knowledge._

 _Jaune wondered how it had turned out this way. Holding a woman he had not known well until recently, not knowing what he felt for her, while she slowly bled in his arms, as he sang and played a song, a requiem for those he had recently lost. Others around him held ones they loved, siblings and friends, in their arms, sat inside Jaune's previous home, in the center of a dying town he had once called home. Faunus extremism, grimm armies and his own feelings had ripped his somewhat stable life apart, despite his attempts. He had been inside burning towns, fought a supposed terrorist attack, and even scared grimm away, a feat impossible for most. And yet, his life and the lives of those he loved lay in tatters at his feet and in his head. He spared a fleeting thought to the others he had seen and contemplated what little he'd lost… when others had lost all. So, he began to remember all that had transpired in these few short months. He would say it began in the training rooms at Beacon, so many miles away, so long ago. He had not known anything but comfort and care, and yet he had squandered it. And he had tainted other people's fate, bringing them here with him. He remembered that day._

Pyrrha admitted her faults, and learned proudly from them.

But not this one. She refused to. She could surely find a way.

She had noticed Jaune's depression and frustration after another humiliating defeat under her failing training. She had tried to soothe him, offer him praise and offer him harder training. But what would it do? Serve to prove he could still not defeat her, and show her she could not teach him. Improve him. What more could she do? After the Forever fall incident, and her unseen help, she was sure Jaune would improve with her guidance. They used the rooftops so much that they were sure the tiles had begun to wear. She couldn't teach him anymore. It was obvious that he couldn't learn her techniques. But could she trust anyone else to tutor him? How could she ensure he wouldn't be hurt, or beaten, or demoralised? She couldn't risk him. She had to protect him, and yet she couldn't protect him from the grimm if he wasn't trained. And so she sat in the cafeteria at lunch, a healthy salad being pushed around and nipped at, but all she could imagine was her own self-pity.

"Hey Pyrrha, what do you think?" Came Yang's chirpy voice from down the row, her social bringing their sad friend into the conversation, and out of her wallowing. Ruby sat idly beside her, sharing interest between her cookies and Pyrrha. Nora sat opposite Ruby, devouring pancakes as if there was no tomorrow. Perhaps there wouldn't be with that amount of syrup. The object of her pity sat beside their bubbly teammate, eating a bacon sandwich, enjoying it too much in her opinion, but he was still aware of the conversation. Opposite him sat Blake, nose in a book, and her fork in a pile of tuna salad. Weiss sat opposing Pyrrha, sipping tea and mildly interested in the conversation. Ren sat facing Yang, a strange pairing, yet Ren seemed to keep his steady face, fully immersed in the conversation, yet neutral and unreadable, offering no hints. Perhaps he had started the conversation. Perhaps he simply loved the peace he was given. Perhaps she would never know what drove that man to become a hunter. Or maybe, she knew already, hearing the chewing of pancakes. "Hello? Remnant to Pyrrha!" Yang's voice came again, slightly worried if her tone was genuine.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?" Polite responses came easily to Pyrrha, her years as a celebrity had shaped her to be adept in most social situations. Still she had been too caught up in her own self-loathing to concentrate on something as simple as the conversations of people she loved, and those she had to trust with her life.

"What do you think of the increased grimm aggression? Goodwitch and Oobleck both mentioned it in their lessons this week, and the news has been talking about it." Yang concluded, her tone surprisingly ominous in Pyrrha's opinion. 'Maybe she was worried?' Came the biting voice in her mind. Honestly, she had never truly feared death by Grimm. She had been trained to fight others, combat against grimm had been a secondary goal. She had fought grimm, the mountainous regions of Mistral housing lion grimm and some dangerous boarbatusks. But mainly, it held the merciless legions of Mistral. Adept hunters, and their ruthless attempts to crush her growing fame. In Vale she had fought hard against grimm and human alike, and had the time of her life. 'Were they truly a threat to us?'

"I think if we fight together, we will be fine. We have proven ourselves to everyone." Pyrrha stated in her formal tone, not boasting, yet still trying to boost morale. Ren seemed particularly amused with this answer, and even Weiss, who had seemed to harbour only minor interested, snorted into her tea. Was she missing something?

"Pyrrha, we wanted to know what you think it means. We aren't worried." Yang's face bore a slight smirk, clearly enjoying her slight embarrassment on some level. "Are you sure you're ok? You seem distracted." She was. But she could not admit it. She wouldn't destroy Jaune's pride for the sake of her mood. Because truthfully, she was concerned.

"I—" **_RRRRRINNNGG_**

Her stuttered answer was cut off quickly, the bell for their next lesson telling them to get moving. They left their plates at the edge of the table, and began to follow their leaders, chatting idly. "We have combat class. Goodwitch will be mad with us if we are late." The happy voice of Ruby came, the crimson reaper skipping at the head of the group. Contented to lead her elders into any battle.

Yang stood in the domed arena, frustrated and furious. She had been matched against Pyrrha again. The invincible girl. They stared for half a second before she lost her patience. 'Does Pyrrha know how this feels? To have no hope of winning?' Yang's mind betrayed her face, showing doubt and frustration against her confident expression. The matchup was horrible. Yang was countered in every way, unable to use her rage to fuel her, as Pyrrha would simply not attack her hard enough to cause it. Unable to use her weapons as an advantage, and unable to use sneaky tactics.

The seconds ticked on as they stared each other down, Goodwitch focused on the aura bars, and the class focused on the upcoming battle. Every muscle in the room was tensed. Pyrrha drew up her shield. Yang pulled back her arms. The claxon sounded. The enclosed and domed world around them erupted in chaos. Her metallic gauntlets spurted out high velocity shells at short range, thudding against Pyrrha's shield, merely creating a dull thudding against Pyrrha's forearm, not even scratching her aura. 'Time to predictably rush into melee range, and get utterly embarrassed' Yang's treacherous mind came, inducing slight rage. She felt angry that she had constantly been given to the champion, simply as a sacrifice. That she had constantly been forced into. Aura flooded her raging muscles, fuelling her strength. A furious barrage of punches yielded no result, simply redirected as Pyrrha began the same dance they had performed in every combat class. Pyrrha rolled back from the barrage, Yang chased, attempting to dodge Milo's accurate fire, failing to dodge most of the shots, blocking what little damage she could. Her aura bar depleted about 10%, Pyrrha's remained full, and the melee began again. At this point, Ruby and Nora had a game, guessing the final scoring percent.

"I bet my pancakes for one week that Pyrrha will stay higher than 80%" Nora boldly claimed, her most favoured food wagered. Ren groaned to himself, picturing Nora without pancakes.

"Oh yeah? I bet my sis will get Pyrrha below that! I bet my cookies Yang will get her to 50%!" Ruby defended, her sister still rapidly throwing blows, surprisingly damaging Pyrrha's smaller aura, which was already straining subtly to the use of her semblance, agility and defence.

"I hope it isn't that close." Jaune edged, trying to both defend his partner, while still acknowledging Pyrrha's distracted mind-set. What had gotten into her? He was her leader. And he felt doubt. Was it his own shortcomings? Or had he noticed and repressed that she had begun to falter? What could he do?

The remainder of the teams returned their attention to the vicious melee. Pyrrha used her agility to outmanoeuvre Yang, sweeping leg kicks and odd jabs chipping aura away, as she always had. Glynda seemed disappointed, tapping at the small scroll and sighing sadly. She clearly knew more could be done. 'Why not tell her?' Jaune noted this strange phenomena, and turned his attention back to the chaotic combat. Yang had whittled away little aura, while Pyrrha continued to sustain damage. Jaune saw something different in his partner, though. And hearing Ren sigh from Nora's other side confirmed he knew too. Pyrrha seemed frustrated, sluggish and downbeat. As if she had been depressed. Yang seemed motivated, and Ruby had seen it too. She had begun to activate her semblance, her strikes actually becoming stronger as she burnt her aura, while Pyrrha slowed and tired. Nora seemed not to notice, and pondered as to why everyone's face lit up in wonder. 'Why is Yang's semblance active? She hasn't been hit hard?' Ruby thought hard on her sister's behaviour.

In the dome, Yang pushed Pyrrha away, forcing her out of reach. Pyrrha capitalised, cartwheeling back into a crouch, taking a knee to fire steadily. A glance at the monitor told her Yang had fallen into the yellow, dipping to just above 50%, while her own aura remained at 80%. This was a stellar effort by Yang, weakening Pyrrha more than usual. Maybe she was out of practice? 'Or maybe, you are worried about someone else, wasting your focus' the gnawing voice in the back of her mind snapped, before receding back into her subconscious. Yang continued to barrel towards her, and Milo slung heavy bullets towards the berserker. She continued as Yang drew closer, relying on instinct and some smaller trickery to evade at the last second. However, during her inner monologue, she had not seen Yang lower herself, Ember Celica pointing to the floor. She leapt from the floor, soaring to Pyrrha's shoulder height while on her knee, nearly completely vaulting her. Yang rose, left leg used for balance, while her right knee rose to Pyrrha's ear and cheek. Pyrrha became disoriented, but still rolled right to avoid further onslaught. Yang had devastated Pyrrha's aura in a single blow, drawing the aura scores to around even, her semblance draining her aura, with Yang's at 40%, and Pyrrha at little over 45%, flashing into the yellow, unexplored territory for the champion. Ruby had won the bet already, and she celebrated, triumphant in supporting her sister. Little did she know, and nor did many, that Yang wasn't finished fighting. She had been focused, her morale had been boosted, and she had been given an opportunity to win. Her chances were slim, but no having no metal on her legs allowed her to attack with no manipulation, however Pyrrha's desperation and lowered guard had cost her aura. Yang had gotten angry at the start of the fight, and while she slowly drained aura, she had significantly damaged Pyrrha. In professor Port's words; "If it bleeds, you can kill it." Luckily, most had the common sense not to battle an Alpha Ursa bare-handed, as he claimed he had.

Yang came quickly into melee range against Pyrrha, who had recovered to the point of aggression, able to manipulate Yang's bracelets, forcing small faults. Milo worked its way beneath and around Yang's guard, chipping at her upper ribs, shoulders and legs, avoiding a killing blow, or any attack strong enough to trigger Yang's semblance. Yang relied on her stray kicks and small strikes to even the gap, but it was a futile attempt. Her aura quickly waned, reaching dangerously low levels, inching into the red. Only 15% remained. Pyrrha still had a healthy 40%, safely in the yellow. Yang threw everything she had at the immovable wall that Pyrrha had always been, not allowing Yang to push her back, or pin her down. Simple strikes ended the battle, as Yang reached 5%, Miss Goodwitch blew the claxon, raising the dome and restoring their real auras. The fabricated bar above disappeared, and everyone cheered. For both parties, and without real meaning, but for Yang, it felt like victory. Until she saw her team surprised. They had expected her to fail. Her eyes must have shown the hurt, but she soldiered on, heading toward them until she was stopped by a shoulder on her arm.

"Yang. Don't be hard on yourself. It was a great fight. You did splendidly."

"Thanks." Yang sounded distant and frustrated, walking stiffly away. She was frustrated and angry, and left to sit next to her partner, figuring it would mean silence, and judging by the book in her face, she was right. Until…

"You know, you really did take advantage well." Blake offered, starting conversation, peering over her book.

"It's so stupid! I can't do anything to counter her, because her weapon and her style is too good." Yang growled, her focus on her teacher at the front, who called the names: "Jaune Arc vs Cardin Winchester" Her mind ignited, seeing her own trouble reflected. Jaune would surely understand.

Blake saw Yang's focus, Jaune was preparing to fight Cardin. Blake deduced that this was a metaphor for Yang. Cardin had every advantage over Jaune with his weapon, size, his training and his technique. Yet Jaune could win, if he was trained well. If he had been given guidance. Maybe Pyrrha had been training him, but Pyrrha wasn't even in his league. No-one was in Pyrrha's league. Maybe the reason he couldn't ever compete was because… He was never actually taught to fight for himself.

"Yang. You want to know how he deals with it." Blake predicted, her nose returning to her book, blocking out the world, her partner now thinking of a way to learn his secret. She plotted, thinking of a way to learn how he tolerates the pain of his constant loss, and no improvement. "It won't work. He's a calm person, and he isn't like you. Pyrrha trains him." The feline pointed out.

"No. He doesn't deal with it." Came a somewhat masculine voice, scaring both of the girls. Ren sat calmly the row in front of them, not facing them, but regarding them casually. Nora, while not sat, was beside him bouncing around and focusing on the fight, and Pyrrha had evidently left for the showers, or the changing rooms. Since Ruby and Weiss were a few seats away, they were not overhearing the conversation. They were chatting about some school work and cookies, probably not hearing due to the background mumbles of other conversations. "He can't afford to. He's a leader, Yang. He cannot afford rash decisions. He can't endanger anyone." Ren turned, attention back to his leader in combat, and his usual silence restored. The blonde boy fought the way Pyrrha did, yet without the agility and semblance, it was a pointless endeavour. He ended the battle crushed beneath Cardin's foot, with the mace raised for the final blow, not in spite, but still with intent as the claxon sounded for the final time.

Jaune stood up in the center of the arena, disgruntled and defeated. He was frustrated because, unbeknownst to him, he had come to the same conclusion as Pyrrha. He was no longer growing in strength. He had found that he tried every trick she had taught him had failed on the battlefield. Her calm demeanour only served to waste his time, and every trick she could perform only allowed someone to catch him in strange positions. 'You'll never be as good as them' His thoughts suggested, asking more than telling. His confidence wavered, but he kept his face still as he walked towards the changing rooms to end the lesson.

 ** _RRRRRINNNGG_**

Ren and Nora slowly rose, walking back to their room in harmony, leaving Yang and Blake relatively alone. Nora looked heartbroken, and acted as if the world was ending.

"Blake."

"Hmm?" Came from behind the hardback book cover

"We should help teach Jaune. All of us." Yang proposed, seeming convinced that it would help. "He could really use the help" Blake supposed it was the mothering instinct that came through, seeing Jaune being defeated had shown her own situation in reflected light. "Besides, we could train while we do it. It might help train us for the Vytal tournament. The semester is over, all we have to do over the holidays is training. We could get some training done, and help Jaune."

"What would you say to his team?" Blake faulted, seemingly trying to find every conceivable problem with her plan.

That lit a spark in Yang's eye. Blake surely saw this, as her eyebrow raised. The feline girl questioned her intentions now, wondering why Yang had such sudden interest in her fellow blonde. Yang had always mothered Ruby, and perhaps she just felt the same care for all. She did attempt to aid her during her "accident" when she was revealed to be a faunus. What was she planning?

"They'll come with us. When we get back to our room, we can tell everyone." Yang promised, as Ruby and Weiss approached.

 _Little did Yang know that her thoughts had set into motion the calamity now fated to doom them._

 **(Well, there you go. Plot founded, time confirmed (between season 1+2), characters made. This series is a secondary one, and I don't know how often it will be updated. But one thing I know is, despite what everyone will say, I have my limits. I may look into having a beta reader, or I may send an early copy to fans that fancy spellchecking and correcting me, in return for an early look through.**

 **Any questions should be asked in the reviews, and everything that seems slightly off has a reason. Trust me.)**


	2. I'm sorry

Hey all, this is just a little thing I need to say before I go.

I have had a wonderful time due to this website, and writing a story of my own to give people the same joy has made me happy. I'm not one for cheesy speeches, and you all know that I put heart and soul into my writing.

But its all over. I can no longer keep up. I am moving away from home, and will be at university. I don't want to moan about it, and many a question may be asked on my PM box. feel free. But I will discontinue all my stories.

What little we've lost and Grimm souls: Paragons will be discontinued. Anyone who wants to write the story while I am gone, please ask me in the PM box, as I do have a few things that have to happen, to make this story work.

I refuse to pander, but I truly did enjoy it. I know some of you more active supporters will be asking away, and I am sorry to have to do this to you.

Please don't hesitate to ask or tell me anything.

Aurory Borealis


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